The Assembly,
Welcoming the interest which the Committee of Ministers has taken in the European Conference of Local Authorities;
Noting with satisfaction that the European Conference of Local Authorities held its second Session in 1958 in accordance with the provisions of Resolution 76 (1955),
(a) Congratulates the European Conference of Local Authorities on t he work it has accomplished and on the quality of the debates at its second Session;
(b) Resolves to take into consideration the opinions and resolutions adopted by the Conference;
(c) Instructs its Committee on Local Authorities to submit to it in due course suggestions on the action which should be taken on the texts adopted by the Conference;
1. In accordance with Resolution 76 (1955) and Recommendation 138 (1958), a second Session of the European Conference of Local Authorities was convened in 1958.
On behalf of the Assembly, the Committee on Local Authorities submitted five requests for an Opinion to the Conference. After three days of intensive work, the Conference adopted six Opinions and five Resolutions; these texts are included in the attached document.
2. The Conference held its second Session from 29th to 31st October 1958.
All countries were fully represented except Greece. Delegates were appointed by agreement between all national associations of local authorities without exception. It should be recalled that some associations were not represented at the first Conference in January 1957.
The national delegations, which were numerically equal to those in the Consultative Assembly, included some of the most distinguished and highly qualified members of the national associations of local authorities. This "was in accordance with the wish expressed by the Assembly in Resolution 76 (1955) " to open wide the doors of the Council of Europe to the qualified representatives of the municipalities and to make them familiar with its work, in the firm belief that they will pass on this knowledge to wide sections of the population ".
Switzerland, Yugoslavia and Finland were given an opportunity to take part in the work of the Council of Europe thanks to the presence at the Conference of observers sent by national associations in these countries at their own request.
The first day was spent in electing the Bureau, adopting the Rules of Procedure and discussing the reports submitted by the Committee on Local Authorities on behalf of the Consultative Assembly.
M. Chaban-Delmas, Mayor of Bordeaux, was elected Chairman, and MM. Andersson, Peyron, Klett, Merlot, de Gou, Dardel and Rippon Vice-Chairmen.
In adopting its Rules of Procedure, which are almost identical with those of the Consultative Assembly, the Conference set up a Committee for relations with the European Communities consisting of members of the Bureau who were nationals of Community countries and other delegates from those countries elected by the Conference. M. Merlot (Belgium) was elected Chairman, and the members of the Committee were as follows: MM. Ronse (Belgium), Chaban- Delmas, Dardel, Poher (France), Klett, Roser, Wormit (Federal Republic of Germany), Cavallero, Peyron, Serafmi (Italy), Cravatte (Luxembourg), de Gou, Wytema (Netherlands).
The Conference also set up the following Committees:
The Committee on Local Authorities submitted the five following, reports to the Conference for opinion:
Promotion of the European Idea through inter-municipal exchanges, Rapporteur: M. Altmaier.
Effects on local government administration of European economic integration, Rapporteur: M. Radius.
Europe-wide arrangements for credit to municipal and regional authorities, Rapporteur: M. Pinton.
Participation of local authorities in the establishment and activities of European institutions, Rapporteur: M. Santero.
Local authorities and the housing problem in Europe, Rapporteur: Mr. John Hay.
Other events of the first day were M. Giacchero's address to the Conference on behalf of the High Authority of the Coal and Steel Community, and the awarding of the European Prize by the President of the Assembly and the Chairman of the Ministers' Deputies to the Cities of Vienna and The Hague.
The second day was devoted to committee work.
The General Committee discussed M. Santera's report; the Economic and Social Committees discussed M. Radius' report; the Committee on Local Finances discussed M Pinton's report; the Cultural Committee discussed M. Altmaier's report, and the Ad Hoc Housing Committee discussed Mr. Hay's report.
The committees drew up draft opinions and resolutions for submission to the plenary Conference.
On the third day of the Conference the texts prepared by the committees were discussed and voted upon.
Out of a total of eleven texts adopted, ten were adopted by the Conference.unanimously and one, Opinion No. 10, by a two-thirds majority. These figures should be compared with those of the voting at the first Conference, when there were many votes against or abstentions.
On a report presented by M. Muthling (Germany) on behalf of the Social and Economic Committee, the Conference unanimously adopted Opinion No. 7 requesting the Common Market Commission to take into consideration in implementing its programme of the economic and human needs in the various municipalities and districts of member countries. Opinion No. 8 was adopted at the instance of M. Serre (Belgium), speaking on behalf of the same Committee. In this Opinion, the Conference proposed that a general plan should be worked out for associating the Local Authorities with the social policy of the High Authority. Lastly, M. Zoli (Italy) reported, for the same Committee, on the local effects of the Free Trade Area and on European Regional planning, following which the Conference adopted Resolutions Nos. 7 and 8.
M. Lugger (Austria), on behalf of the General Committee, presented two Resolutions, which were adopted by the Conference. By the first (Resolution No. 9), the Conference decided to give itself a Charter which would ensure its representative character and the responsibility assigned to it by the Local Authorities. In the second Resolution (No. 10) the Conference requests the Consultative Assembly and the executive and parliamentary organs of the European Communities to consult it.
On the report of M. Jonas (Austria), Rapporteur of the Cultural Committee, the Conference defined the cultural mission which local communities could fulfil, and requested the Consultative Assembly to turn it to the best account (Opinion No. 9).
MM. Mosse (France) and van Audenhove (Belgium) presented the reports of the Committee on Local Finances. The Conference, by 90 votes against 12 and 4 abstentions, approved the creation of a European Institute for credit to municipal and regional authorities (Opinion No. 10); it also recommended certain measures to remedy the shortage of funds from which municipalities suffered (Opinion No. 12).
Lastly, on the report of Mr. Hart (United Kingdom), Rapporteur of the Ad Hoc Housing Committee, the Conference adopted Opinion No. 12, in which it urged that remedies should be found for the problems of housing shortage, urban congestion and the establishment of housing standards. It also adopted Resolution No. 11, in which it requested its Bureau to arrange that the Ad Hoc Committee on Housing should become a general committee.
Reference must also be made to the fact that, on the third day, M. Petrille addressed the Conference, on behalf of the Europen Economic Commission.
In adopting its Resolution No. 10, the Conference:
" Welcoming the Resolution of 14th December 1957 by which the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe noted ' the importance for the development for European co-operation of the participation of local authorities in the European institutions' ";
Formally proclaims to the Governments of the member countries and to of the institutions them-selves:
Requests the Consultative Assembly to continue to refer to it and study with it problems affecting local authorities;
Requests the executive organs of the European Communities and the European Parliamentary Assembly consistently to solicit its views and co-operation with regard to all aspects of European economic integration in which municipalities ' responsibilities are at issue. "
The Assembly can here and now express its appreciation of the work the Conference has accomplished and will consider what action should be taken on the texts adopted.
The Assembly is entitled to consider that its Resolution 76 (1955) whereby it affirmed the need to " convene an annual conference to be attended by representatives of all the qualified national associations of the local authorities of member countries " was fully justified.